Strategy: 9 Your Helpfulness

Post and show how willing you are to help your customers. Many successful companies show their customers how easy it is to do business with them. They invite customers to make purchases via their store, online at their website, by phone, and even by fax. Yet others keep extended shopping hours to meet the needs of their customers.

Inform your customers that your staff is highly skilled and well trained. Hang posters and post banners encouraging customers to seek help from your staff. Train staff to cheerfully engage customers at every contact point. For example, I’ve created a job aid the help employees ask engaging question of customers. Download it at: www.IFmarketing.com/EngagingQsWorksheet.pdf

Guide your customers to areas where they can have their questions answered. “If you have any questions ask a salesperson or visit the counter.”

And get your customers to shoulder part of the workload whenever possible by encouraging them to answer their own questions, thereby freeing you up to help other customers. To do this, post FAQs and special reports that help answer questions your customers have.

You can apply similar approaches to a variety of situations. Refer your customers to articles; recommend books, maps, and links to areas on and off your store-site or in and out of town. The goal is to add extra value by providing materials designed to help them to find, buy and use your products and services.

Examples of Your Helpfulness
Online retailers—you can put your 800 number on your website to encourage your customers to contact you. Most do, but how much more effective will it be if next to your 800 number you say “Call us, we’re here to help you.” Or “We’re waiting and willing to answer you questions, call us now?” Better yet, add “live help” communication to your site for those who’d like their questions answered without having to call you.

Retailers—Wal-Mart workers wear jacks that say, “How can I help you?” This fosters interaction between customers and staff. Post FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) for customers with the answers and solutions—let them know how willing you are to help them. Post and advertise comments from customers praising the helpfulness of your staff.

Check out the very helpful and effective approach used online by Amazon.com. When you are a member of Amazon.com they make suggestions that are relevant to the purchases you make. When you buy a certain book they take you to a page that says “People who have bought (your book) have also bought the following books” and give a list of recommendations. Teach your staff to use similar techniques or post such suggestions by the products you sell.

Post visual cues such as “Visit our “How-to” section at the end of the aisle.” or “Visit our recommended resources section—click here.” A sales representative can also use a similar verbal approach as an ice breaker when approaching a customer: “If you have any questions, my name is Jackson, please feel free to ask me at any time or you can use our handy reference center found at the end of each aisle, right over here.”

As you can see, there are many additional ways to engage your customer. Work with your staff to better satisfy your customers and stand out in the busy crowd and you will be able to bring more customers to your business.

For more free tips and articles visit: http://www.ifmarketing.com/resources/

This strategies has been taken from a forthcoming book called Benchmarked.

Stragety 6 - Evaluating Products

Evaluating Products
A good way to help your customers make decisions is to help them categorize you product. Some ways to segment products are: categorizing products, Good/Better/Best categories, and Step-By-Step / How-to / Don’t Forget instructions. Whenever you can simplify the buying decision you are helping your customers take on more of a co-productions position, which is when the customer provides at least part of his/her own service. You give them the power to make faster and more educated decisions. Usually resulting it purchasing higher priced products.

Examples of Evaluating Products

Example of Categorizing
Camp Chef, makers of Outdoor cookers categorizes its product line into distinct product lines. Their high-end catering style stoves are in the 1. Professional Series, their rugged camping style stoves are in the 2. Outdoorsman Series, their portable/car camping stoves are in the 3. Sport Utility Series, and their grilling/tailgating stoves are in the 4. Sport Grill Series. You can easily identify what type of stove to start investigating by your intended activity or usage.

How can you apply this to your business?
Categorize products for your customer. Make posters or brochures. Help your customers easily make choices about your product line. Say there are eight different sleeping bags to choose from. Divide the bags into logical categories that make it easier for your customer to choose a bag. Consider categories such as, If you camp in –20’ - -5’ temperatures consider these bags. If you camp in 0’ – 40’ temperatures consider these bags. If you camp 40’+ temperatures consider these bags. —or— If you car camp consider these bags… If you backpack consider these bags… If you camp in your yard consider these bags…

Example of Good/Better/Best Comparison













Look for ways to compare the products you sell. You will quickly begin to sell more of the better products because your customers will be able to see they difference.

Strategy 5 - Testimonials - Use Them In All Your Promotions

Testimonials
Sharing a testimonial is the most powerful advertising you can ever do. Many customers don’t readily believe advertising anymore, they think it is false, overstating, exaggerated and discount it. Ask your customers for testimonials.

If you have gone out of your way to satisfy your customer they will happily give you one. Post them everywhere a customer goes so your prospective customers can see how you will treat them when they become customers.

CustomInk.com has amassed 10,000+ testimonials. When they can get a customer to visit their testimonial webpage they have a five times higher chance in making a sale! Does any of your current marketing have a response rate this high? I’d suggest that you visit their testimonial page and learn from them.

Gather and post as many testimonials as you can. It will have a significant impact on your customers buying decisions!

Tip: To be more creditable use as much info about your customer as you can. Full name, city and state, photo, and even a signature.

Examples of Testimonials
“These guys are great! It is a pleasure to do business with them, every time. I wish every e-store was this easy to work with.”
—David Rasmussen

“Brian went out of his way to give me excellent customer service and very sincerely addressed any concerns I had.”
—A. Hymans

“This shopping experience is everything a person could ask for.”
—Jaime Stanczyk

This one, and many other great testimonials, can be found on Filson.com
“I was attacked by an enraged bull. I was hit hard and thrown up about 15 feet, tumbling head over heels. I landed in front of the bull who then butted me, rolling me to my back and running over me, planting his left foot squarely on my upper chest. When he stomped on my chest I was certain that he would crush it and my heart and lungs. Amazingly, my only injuries were a broken sternum and some subluxed ribs and clavicle joints. Quite sore but alive! Next day I cleaned the muddy hoof print off the left upper chest surface of the coat I had been wearing...my FILSON TIN CLOTH PACKER COAT. I feel that the almost armor-like quality of the caped part of that coat probably saved my life.”
—Bruce Ashley West Union, OH

WOW! It is because of testimonials like this that I own a Filson product! How about you and your products… Are you using testimonials to help you sell? Testimonials are a competitive edge you can use!




This strategy was taken from my book Benchmarket: How the Best of the Best Keep Customers Running.